Senior Public Affairs Coordinator Position Description

Reports to Development Director

Summary

The Senior Public Affairs Coordinator will uphold the mission of Metropolitan Energy Center (MEC) by influencing the knowledge and opinions of a diverse field of stakeholders via advocacy of MEC’s policy positions, coordination of events, and donor stewardship MEC Position Statements, the MEC Annual Development Plan, and applicable project Communications Plans to guide overall work. The position uses input from manager-level and director-level staff to set and achieve trackable goals with measurable intended outcomes related to mission success via events, policy, advocacy, and public relations. This position may carry out other duties as requested by the Development Director (DD).

Duration and Category

Regular Full-time; Exempt

Supervisory Responsibilities

None.

Essential Duties

• Under supervision of and cooperation with the DD, publicly embody and express our organization’s mission, the earnest intent of our work, and the expected outcomes and impacts from that work.
• Collaborate with leadership and staff to conduct education efforts, mobilization efforts, and policy research related to the mission work, strategic direction, policies and position of MEC. This will include face-to-face meetings with policymakers and elected officials.
• Produce programmatic and fundraising events, tracking unique event goals and logistics, ensuring overall event quality and effectiveness.
• Present brief streamlined summaries of current events (e.g. news, policy changes, legislative efforts) that are both significant and relevant to the current iteration of the MEC Position Statement, explaining their specific relevance.
• Maintain knowledge of perspectives and interests within the nonprofit sector, the energy sector, and the community at large, informing leadership of specific significance to the MEC mission.
• Engage in donor stewardship. Prepare engagement information and update directors and management regarding the strength of our relationship with potential donors, funding partners, and key external players and entities.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and/or Experience

• A bachelor’s or master’s degree in a relevant discipline and/or equivalent years of experience.
• Three to five years of successful and progressively responsible related work experience.
• Experience in or demonstrated understanding of the environmental impacts of human energy use, including sustainable transportation and building performance.
• Familiarity with organizational psychology and public relations practices.

Skills and Competencies

• Leadership Skills: Self-starter, able to work independently and with others toward common goals.
• Time Management Skills: Organizational skills to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines.
• Community and Business Engagement: Experience forming and maintaining strategic partnerships with both community organizations and institutional decision-makers alike.
• Project Priority Skills: Organizational skills and strong ability to do what is necessary to manage multiple ongoing individual and team tasks and adhere to deadlines. Complete tasks on time or notifies appropriate person(s) with an alternate plan.
• Industry Knowledge and Proficiency: Understanding and/or demonstrating ability to analyze sustainable building and transportation topics.
• Language Skills: Excellent listening skills. Ability to synthesize and communicate technical information clearly and concisely to general audiences with limited use of jargon; to engage diverse constituencies; to display excellent communication skills; to produce correspondence; and to show respect and sensitivity for cultural differences. Proficiency in Spanish or other non-English language a plus.
• Presentation Skills: Be able to confidently present to internal and external colleagues with precision.
• Relationship Building: Ability to use soft skills to connect with others and form positive relationships. These skills are essential for having a good relationship with stakeholders and coworkers, contributing to group collaborations, and building mutual understanding between yourself and others.
• Reasoning Ability: Ability to carry out detailed written and/oral instructions; to deal with problems involving several concrete variables; to multi-task; to change approach or method to best fit the situation, adapting to frequent change, delays, or unexpected events in the work environment.
• Computer Skills: Strong knowledge of the Microsoft Office 365 Suite. Experience using information systems for project management. Proficiency with internet functionality.

Work Environment

MEC offers teleworking options, appropriate for the work duties and at the discretion of supervisors. Most work for this position may be completed remotely. Some in-person meetings, and office time are required. The noise level in the office environment may be moderate due to staff phone calls and conversations.

Salary and Benefits

Annual salary range: $50,000-$55,000

Benefits

• Paid vacation leave, paid sick leave, and paid holidays
• Group health, dental, vision insurance
• Free life insurance
• Flexible scheduling and teleworking
• 24/7 access to co-working space
• Professional development opportunities
• Work-Life Balance programs: Opportunity for unpaid leave for volunteerism, paid jury leave, bereavement leave, etc.